Oral hygiene appliance



Nov'. 25, 1969 w. w. SINAI 3,480,009

ORAL HYGIENE APPLIANCE Filed Oct. 12, 1967 352.12 .H Qw. 2

. INVENTOR.

' 'Iliam Ml/W,

W 5mm M Attorneys United States Patent rice 3,480,009 ORAL HYGIENE APPLIANCE William W. Sinai, Orinda, Calif. (2844 Summit St., Oakland, Calif. 94609) Filed Oct. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 674,808 Int. Cl. A61h 13/00; A61m 11/00, N00 US. Cl. 128-66 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An oral hygiene appliance involving a container of a size to fit the hand, a pressure pump installed in the container and including a manually reciprocable piston carrying a massage pick within reach of the forefinger, with the container held in the hand, the massage pick having a bore therethrough in flow communication with the pump discharge and terminating at the tip of said pick.

My invention relates to oral hygiene appliances and, more particularly, to one delivering a stream of fluid to flush and cleanse the teeth and the spaces between them, while simultaneously permitting massaging of adjacent gum tissue.

Most of the appliances available in this category are of the type which must be anchored to some power source, and thus, as to each, its area usefulness is somewhat limited, both as to time and place. Oral hygiene, however, may beneficially be practiced during the day, but during such period, a power-driven device is not apt to be readily available. In .my prior patent for Hygienic Dental Device, No. 3,199,510, I have disclosed a manually powered hygienic dental device for performing oral hygiene routine, and one which was capable of being conveniently carried in the pocket or handbag of the user. The present invention is an improvement over the device of my earlier patent.

Among the objects of my present invention are:

(1) To provide a novel and improved oral hygiene appliance;

(2) To provide a novel and improved oral hygiene appliance of a size to conveniently fit ones pocket or urse; P (3) To provide a novel and improved manually powered oral hygiene appliance;

(4) To provide a novel and improved manually powered oral hygiene appliance which will deliver a forceful stream of water, at a velocity under control of the user;

(5) To provide a novel and improved oral hygiene appliance adapted to be carried in ones pocket or purse without leaking;

(6) To provide a novel and improved manually powered oral hygiene appliance which will comfortably fit the hand for manually powering the same; and

(7) To provide a novel and improved oral hygiene appliance incorporating a massage-pick component which may be protected from contamination, when the appliance is not in use.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the same, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation depicting the device of the present invention, in use;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, depicting the appliance ready for use, and illustrating in phantom, the appliance in condition for storage;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the appliance, in its condition for storage; and

FIGURE 4 is a view, in section, taken in the plane 44 of FIGURE 3.

3,480,009 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 'Referring to the drawings for details of my invention in its preferred form, the same basically involves a container 1, a pump assembly 3 removably installed in said container, and a massage hydro-pick 5 associated with the discharge end of the pump assembly, the novelty residing in the structural as well as functional relationship between these components. a

The container is preferably of clear or translucent plastic or comparable material, to provide an unbreakable container, whose contents may be discernible through the walls thereof at any time.

The container is formed with a neck 7 defining an Opening for filling the container, and through which opening, the pump assembly may be inserted for installation. The neck is preferably formed with a thread to receive a cap assembly 9, for removably retaining the pump assembly in its installed position.

Such pump assembly included a pump barrel 11 formed at its upper end with a lateral flange 13 for supporting the same on the upper rim of the container neck, to which it is removably sealed by an intermediate gasket 15.

At its lower end, the barrel is provided wtih an intake opening 17, flow connecting the container interior with the interior of the pump barrel.

A rod-type piston 19, formed with a longitudinal bore 21 to provide a discharge passage for the pump assembly, is reciprocally installed in the barrel, to Which it is slidably sealed by an O-ring 23, installed in a peripheral groove adjacent the lower end of the piston.

At its upper end, the piston is blocked ed and provided with a lateral discharge opening 25 adjacent the closed end thereof.

Normally closing the intake opening to the pump assembly, is a ball check valve 27, assisted to its closing position by a coil spring 29 within the barrel, intermediate the ball check valve and the lower end of the piston, such spring performing the additional function of biasing the piston to its upper position, in the absence of any contra or restraining force applied to the piston.

To permit of such reciprocation of the piston, the cap assembly is provided with an aligned opening for slidably receiving the piston.

Associated with the discharge opening 25 from the pump assembly, is the massage hydro-pick 5. This component comprises a body of flexible material, such as rubber or a comparable plastic, tapering to a tip of sufiicient sharpness to fit into the regions between the teeth, for the dislodgement of trapped food particles, the tip being of sufiicient texture to enable use thereof for massaging the adjacent gum tissues with beneficial effect.

The pick at its base or heavy end, is formed with a mounting recess 31 adapted to frictionally receive the upper end of the piston with the pick in substantially a horizontal position; and running longitudinally from this recess to the tip, is a bore 33 adapted to align itself with the pump discharge opening 25 in the assembled position of the pick on the piston. To resist removal of the pick from the piston after installation thereon, the piston is preferably formed at its upper end with peripheral sawtooth ribs.

Of significance to the present invention, is the fact that the bore through the pick is of a diameter suificiently small to perform two important functions.

For one thing, the discharge from the pick should be in the nature of a jet discharge at high velocity. The smaller the bore, the higher the pump pressure developed, which is then converted to velocity at the tip of the pick, it being noted that the pressure developed in the pump assembly, and consequently the velocity of the jet discharge, may be controlled, within limits, by the rapidity or rate with which the piston is depressed during a work stroke. Being that the pump assembly is designed for manual operation, it thus becomes apparent that the velocity of discharge is within the control of the user.

The second function of the small bore is to retard inflow of air during a suction stroke of the piston, sufiiciently to permit the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid contents of the container to lift the ball check valve and recharge the pump barrel in preparation for a work stroke. A vent 36 in the container will assure efiicient operation of the pump assembly.

Finger recesses 37, 39 molded into the upper side of the pick, will facilitate manual operation of the pump assembly.

Being that the piston is freely slidable in the pump barrel, without any restriction as to its ability to rotate, such rotatability of the piston is utilized in constituting it a rotatable support for the pick, whereby relative angular movement of the pick during use of the appliance may be resorted to in carrying out the oral hygiene routine for which the appliance is designed.

To permit of convenient manual powering of the appliance, and storage of the same when not in use, in ones pocket or purse, the container 1 is preferably of oval section, and of a size to comfortably fit the palm of the hand, with the pick in its most extended position, being within easy reach of the forefinger. With such oval section, the pick may be rotated to an overhanging position to facilitate reaching into the regions between the teeth.

In preparing the appliance for storage, provision is made for locking the piston in its innermost position within the pump barrel, to minimize the overall height of the appliance for storage purposes. Toward this end, the cap assembly involves, in addition to a cap 41, a partition 43, supporting adjacent the inner surface of the cap, a recessed washer 45 providing a shallow chamber adjacent the pump piston, where it passes through the cap. A notch 47 in the cap is formed to receive a projection 49 on the piston, as the piston is depressed into the pump barrel, following which a partial rotation of the piston will lock the same in its depressed position.

A cover 51 for the container is made available, of sufficient depth to enclose the otherwise exposed portions of the appliance, especially the pick, which will thus be protected from outside contamination during non-use periods of the appliance.

In providing for such cover, the container is preferably formed with an upper section 53, somewhat restricted relative to the lower portion 55, and provided with an outside friction head 57 to be frictionally engaged by the cover, when the cover is assembled to the container. By proper determination of the dimensions, the contour of the cover may be made to conform to that of the lower portion of the container.

Probable leakage of liquid through the vent during storage, is precluded by the presence of a vent sealing band 59 of rubber or other appropriate material, installed within the cover, at a location to engage the container and cover the opening when the cover is applied.

From the foregoing description of my invention in its preferred form, it will be apparent that it fulfills all of the objects of my invention, and while I have illustrated and described the same in considerable detail, the invention is subject to modification and alteration without departing from the underlying principles thereof, and I, accordingly, do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specific details so illustrated and described, except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An oral hygiene appliance comprising a container sized to comfortably fit the palm of the hand of the user, a'pump assembly mounted in said container and having a reciprocative piston having a portion extending from said container, said piston and portion having a longitudinal passage therethrough for discharging the fluid content of said container upon reciprocation of said piston, a massage pick mounted on the distal end of said piston portion and shaped for finger engagement, for effecting manual reciprocation of said piston, said pick involving a body tapering to a tip adapted to be inserted into regions between teeth to dislodge food particles, and having a flow passage therethrough terminating at said tip, said massage pick being flow connected in flow communication with said piston passage, to receive discharge from said pump assembly, to assist in the dislodging of such food particles, the passage through said pick being sufliciently small in section, to increase pressure developed in said pump assembly and convert the same to velocity, whereby to produce a jet discharge at high velocity.

-2. An oral hygiene appliance in accordance with claim 1,- characterized by means for releasably restraining said pump piston and mounted pick, at their innermost positions, to minimize the overall height of the appliance for storage purposes.

3. An oral hygiene appliance in accordance with claim 2, characterized by said container being of oval section, and said massage pick being rotatably supported in a plane paralleling a section plane through said container, whereby said pick may be brought to rest in line with the maximum diameter of said container, and a cover for said container of sufficient depth to accommodate said massage pick.

4. An oral hygiene appliance in accordance with claim 3, characterized by said container having its upper portion restricted and including an outside friction bead, with said cover adapted to frictionally engage said bead during assembling of said cover.

5. An oral hygiene appliance in accordance with claim 1, characterized by said pick being rotatably mounted in a plane.

6. An oral hygiene appliance in accordance with claim 1, characterized by the maximum overall dimension of said appliance with said pick in its extended position, being such that said pick is within reach of ones finger when said container is held in the palm of the hand.

7. An oral hygiene appliance in accordance with claim 2, characterized by said releasable restraining means including a container cap surrounding said piston portion for retaining said pump assembly in its installed position, said cap having a notch adjacent said piston portion, and a projection on said piston portion adapted to enter said notch upon completion of a work stroke of said piston, and lock within said cap upon partial rotation of said piston.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,490,966 4/1924 Dell 128-230 3,144,867 8/1964 Trupp et al 128234 3,199,510 8/1965 Sinai.

L. W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 128237 

